Method and device for displaying an application interface

ABSTRACT

A method for displaying an application interface on a terminal. The method includes determining a first application of an application group. The application group includes multiple identical applications installed on the terminal, and the first application is a most recently used application of the multiple identical applications. The method further includes displaying application indication information in a specific area in an interface of the terminal, for indicating the first application.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims priority to Chinese PatentApplication No, 201610304869.4, filed on May 9, 2016, the entirecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of computers, and moreparticularly, to a method and device for displaying an applicationinterface.

BACKGROUND

With development of computer technologies, different applications may beinstalled for realizing different functions on a terminal, such as amobile phone or a smart watch. A user may install two identicalapplications on the terminal when using the terminal. In conventionaltechnologies, the terminal may run the two identical applications at thesame time, and display identical interfaces. As such, it may bedifficult for the user to determine which one of the two identicalapplications corresponds to a currently displayed interface.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provideda method for displaying an application interface on a terminal. Themethod comprises determining a first application of an applicationgroup. The application group includes multiple identical applicationsinstalled on the terminal, and the first application is a most recentlyused application of the multiple identical applications. The methodfurther comprises displaying application indication information in aspecific area in an interface of the terminal, for indicating the firstapplication.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a device for displaying an application interface. The devicecomprises a processor and a memory for storing instructions executableby the processor. The processor is configured to determine a firstapplication of an application group. The application group includesmultiple identical applications installed on the device, and the firstapplication is a most recently used application of the multipleidentical applications. The processor is further configured to displayapplication indication information in a specific area in an interface ofthe device for indicating the first application.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provideda non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereininstructions that, when executed by a processor of a terminal, cause theterminal to perform a method for displaying an application interface.The method comprises determining a first application of an applicationgroup. The application group includes multiple identical applicationsinstalled on the terminal, and the first application is a most recentlyused application of the multiple identical applications. The methodfurther comprises displaying application indication information in aspecific area in an interface of the terminal for indicating the firstapplication.

It is to be understood that the above general descriptions and detaileddescriptions below are only exemplary and explanatory and not intendedto limit the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with thepresent disclosure and, together with the specification, serve toexplain the principles of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for displaying an applicationinterface according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a flow chart of a method for displaying an applicationinterface according to another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of a display interface of a terminalaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram of an application identifier according toan exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2D is a schematic diagram of an application identifier according toanother exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2E is a schematic diagram of an application identifier according toyet another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2F is a schematic diagram of an original icon of an applicationaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2G is a schematic diagram of a modified icon of an applicationaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2H is a schematic diagram of a modified icon of an applicationaccording to another exemplary embodiment,

FIG. 2I is a schematic diagram of a modified icon of an applicationaccording to yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2J is a schematic diagram of a modified icon of an applicationaccording to still yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2K is a schematic diagram of a display interface of a terminalaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2L is a schematic diagram of a display interface of a terminalaccording to another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2M is a schematic diagram of a display interface of a terminalaccording to yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2N is a schematic diagram of a display interface of a terminalaccording to still yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a device for displaying an applicationinterface according to an exemplary embodiment

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a terminal for displaying an applicationinterface according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examplesof which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The followingdescription refers to the accompanying drawings in which the samenumbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elementsunless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments do not represent allimplementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, theyare merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspectsrelated to the present disclosure as recited in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method 100 for displaying an applicationinterface according to an exemplary embodiment. The method 100 may beapplied to a terminal, and includes the following steps.

In step 101, a first application of an application group is determined,the application group including multiple identical applicationsinstalled on the terminal, and the first application being a mostrecently used application by a user of the multiple identicalapplications.

In step 102, application indication information for indicating the firstapplication is displayed in a specific area in an interface of theterminal. The specific area of the interface may include, but is notlimited to, a system status bar, a system notification bar, a displayarea containing an icon of an application of the application group, or ataskbar.

By using the methods 100, the first application may be accuratelydistinguished from other identical application(s) of the applicationgroup. Accordingly, display of the multiple identical applications ofthe application group may be improved.

In some embodiments, the application indication information includes anidentifier or an icon of the application group. The identifier and theicon may each indicate that the application group includes multipleidentical applications.

In some embodiments, step 102 includes determining whether the firstapplication is running in a foreground of the terminal. When it isdetermined that the first application is running in the foreground ofthe terminal, the application indication information is displayed in asystem status bar of the terminal.

In some embodiments, step 102 includes displaying in a systemnotification bar of the terminal a notification message sent for thefirst application, when the notification message is received, anddisplaying an icon of the first application at a position for displayingthe notification message. The identifier of the first application mayindicate that the first application is one of the multiple identicalapplications.

In some embodiments, step 102 includes setting an icon of the firstapplication in a taskbar of the terminal, the icon of the firstapplication indicating that the first application is one of the multipleidentical applications. At least one icon is contained in the taskbarand the at least one icon includes icons of currently runningapplications.

In some embodiments, prior to step 102, the method 100 may furtherinclude acquiring an original icon of the first application, and addingthe identifier of the application group at a specific position on theoriginal icon to obtain the icon of the first application. The specificposition on the original icon may include, but is not limited to, alower or upper left corner, a lower or upper right corner, or a left orright side, of the original icon.

In some embodiments, the first application is a mirror application ofthe application group. The multiple identical applications of theapplication group may include an original application and at least onemirror application of the original application.

FIG. 2A is a flow chart of a method 200 for displaying an applicationinterface according to another exemplary embodiment. The method 200 maybe applied to a terminal, and includes the following steps.

In step 201, when an operation performed on an application in anapplication group is received, the application is started to run.

In the exemplary embodiment, a user may install multiple identicalapplications on the terminal to create the application group. Themultiple identical applications may include an original application andat least one mirror application of the original application. Forexample, the user may install multiple identical instant messagingapplications in the terminal and configure the identical instantmessaging applications for different social occasions respectively.Thus, the terminal may run any application of the application groupafter the application group is created.

The operation performed on the application may include, but is notlimited to, a clicking operation, a swiping operation, etc. The multipleidentical applications may run simultaneously. The at least one mirrorapplication may be obtained by copying the original application.

Each application may have a unique application identifier for indicatingidentity information of the application. When the application isinstalled in the terminal, the application identifier of the applicationis required to be stored in a system file of the terminal to registerthe application. Thus, when a mirror application identical to anoriginal application is installed in the terminal, that is, the originalapplication is copied, the application identifier of the originalapplication may be modified, to determine an application identifier ofthe mirror application. The application identifier of the mirrorapplication is then stored in the system file of the terminal toregister the mirror application so as to install the minor application.

With regard to methods for installing multiple identical applications inthe terminal to further obtain an original application and at least onemirror application of the original application, any related technologymay be referred to, and the methods will not be specifically limited inthe embodiments of the present disclosure.

For example, three identical instant messaging applications “Xcommunication” are installed in a terminal to create an X communicationapplication group. The X communication application group includes thethree identical X communication applications, wherein one Xcommunication application is set to be an original application, and theother two X communication applications are mirror applications.

In some embodiments, a plurality of types of applications may beinstalled in the terminal. For each type of application, multipleidentical applications of the type may be installed in the terminal tocreate an application group for the type of application. That is, aplurality of application groups may be created in the terminal, witheach application group corresponding to one type of application.

After the terminal runs applications of the application group, a firstapplication of the application group may be indicated according to thefollowing steps, for conveniently distinguishing the first applicationfrom other identical application(s) of the application group.

In step 202, a first application of the application group is determined,the first application being a most recently used application by a userof the multiple identical applications.

Since the application group includes multiple identical applications andthe terminal may run identical display interfaces for running themultiple applications, the first application that is most recently used,may be determined to conveniently distinguish other identicalapplication(s).

In some embodiments, a timing for performing step 202 may vary. Forexample, the terminal may perform step 202 at a preset time interval.Alternatively, the terminal may perform step 202 when an instruction fordistinguishing applications is received. There are no limits to thetiming in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The preset time interval may be set by the terminal prior to performingstep 202. For example, the preset time interval may be 5 ms, 10 ms, orany other value. There are no limits to the preset time interval in theembodiments of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the instruction for distinguishing applications maybe triggered when a user performs a preset operation. The presetoperation may include, but is not limited to, a clicking operation, aswiping operation, or, a shaking operation.

In some embodiments, the first application may be a mirror applicationof the application group. In such case, when the application groupincludes only one mirror application, the first application is themirror application. When the application group includes a plurality ofmirror applications, the first application may be a mirror applicationthat is most recently used among the plurality of mirror applications.Alternatively, the first application may also include the plurality ofmirror applications, that is, all of the mirror applications of theapplication group are determined as the first application. For example,when the application group includes two mirror applications, the twomirror applications may both be determined as the first application.

In some embodiments, the first application may be a specifiedapplication of the application group. The plurality of identicalapplications included in the application group may be configured fordifferent occasions respectively. The user may not concern about whichapplication is an original application and which application is a mirrorapplication. Rather, the user may need to determine whether anapplication that is most recently used is an application configured to aspecific occasion. Accordingly, the specified application of theapplication group may be determined as the first application to improvethe distinguishing of the identical applications in the applicationgroup.

In a situation where the first application is the specified applicationof the application group, the terminal may display selection promptinginformation before determining the first application that is mostrecently used. The selection prompt information is configured to promptthe user to select an application from the application group. When aselection instruction is received for the application group, anapplication selected by the selection instruction may be determined asthe first application. The selection prompt information may be displayedin a popup window, other types of windows, or the like, which are notlimited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the selection instruction may be triggered when theuser performs a preset operation. For example, in the X communicationapplication group, the three identical X communication applications maybe referred to as an X communication application 1, an X communicationapplication 2, and an X communication application 3, respectively. The Xcommunication application 1 is an original application, the Xcommunication application 2 and X communication application 3 are mirrorapplications. In the exemplary embodiment, the X communicationapplication 3 is specified as the first application. Accordingly, theterminal may determine the first application of the X communicationapplication group to be the X communication application 3. In this way,the X communication application 3 is distinguished from the other Xcommunication applications of the X communication application group.

In some embodiments, the first application may be an application of theapplication group that is installed most recently on the terminalcompared with other applications of the application group. There are nolimits to how the first application of the application group isdetermined in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the application group may be any application groupof a plurality of application groups created in the terminal. In thiscase, for each group of the plurality of application groups, theterminal may perform step 202 to determine the first application of theapplication group.

In step 203, prompt information for indicating the first application isdisplayed in a specific area in an interface of the terminal.

In the exemplary embodiment, the application group includes the multipleidentical applications. It may be difficult for the user to distinguishthe identical applications when display interfaces for running theidentical applications are identical. As such, after the firstapplication of the application group is determined, the applicationindication information may be displayed in the specific area in theinterface of the terminal to prompt the user about the firstapplication. The specific area of the interface may include, but is notlimited to, a system status bar of the terminal, a system notificationbar of the terminal, a display area containing an icon of anyapplication of the application group, or a taskbar of the terminal.

In some embodiments, the application indication information may includean identifier or an icon of the application group. The identifier mayinclude, but is not limited to, a number, a letter, a special character,a graphic, and a picture. The icon of the first application may beobtained by adding the identifier to an original icon of the firstapplication by the terminal.

In some embodiments, the terminal may set the identifier for theapplication group before displaying the application indicationinformation in the specific area in the interface of the terminal. Forexample, the terminal may randomly set the identifier for theapplication group when installing the applications of the applicationgroup. Alternatively, the terminal may set the identifier for theapplication group when running any application of the application group.There are no limits to a timing for setting the identifier in theembodiments of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, when the terminal sets the identifier for theapplication group, the terminal may randomly select an identifier suchas a number, a letter, a special character or a special symbol for theapplication group, and determine the randomly selected identifier as theidentifier of the application group. In the case, when the terminalrandomly selects an identifier and determines the selected identifier asthe identifier of the application group, interactions between theterminal and the user are reduced, and the efficiency of setting theidentifier is improved.

In some embodiments, when the terminal sets the identifier for theapplication group, first setting prompt information is displayed. Thefirst setting prompt information includes a plurality of identifiers andis configured to prompt the user to select an identifier from theplurality of identifiers. When a first setting instruction based on theplurality of identifiers is received, an identifier selected accordingto the first setting instruction is determined as the identifier of theapplication group.

When the terminal determines the identifier selected according to thefirst setting instruction as the identifier of the application group,flexibility in setting the identifier is improved due to that theidentifier is determined by the user. Further, distinguishing the firstapplication according to the identifier by the user is also improved.

The terminal may display the first setting prompt information in themanner of a popup display, a window display or the like, which will notbe limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the first setting instruction may be triggered whenthe user performs a preset operation. For example, when the terminalsets an identifier for the X communication application group on aterminal 200 b shown in FIG. 2B, first setting prompt information 20 isdisplayed to prompt the user to select an identifier from fouridentifiers: a number 1, a letter A, a special symbol @ and an ellipse.When a first setting instruction is received based on the identifiersand an identifier selected according to the first setting instruction isthe ellipse, the ellipse is determined as the identifier of the Xcommunication application group.

In some embodiments, when the terminal sets the identifier for theapplication group, second setting prompt information is displayed. Thesecond setting prompt information is configured to prompt the user toinput an identifier. When the identifier input by the user is receivedbased on the second setting prompting information, the identifier inputby the user is determined as the identifier of the application group. Inthis case, when the terminal determines the identifier input by the useras the identifier of the application group (i.e., the identifier iscustomized by the user), the flexibility in setting the identifier maybe further improved. Accordingly, distinguishing the first applicationby the user according to the identifier may also be further improved.

The terminal displays the second setting prompt information in themanner of a popup display, a window display or the like, which will notbe limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

As aforementioned, the application group includes the multiple identicalapplications, including the original application and the at least onemirror application, and the first application may be specified by theuser. Thus, the first application may be the original application. Whena plurality of identifiers are set for the application group, theplurality of identifiers may correspond to the multiple identicalapplications of the application group in an one-to-one relationship.

In such case, when each application of the application group maycorrespond to an identifier, the terminal may distinguish eachapplication of the application group on the basis of the plurality ofidentifiers As such, displaying the multiple identical applications ofthe application group is improved, and distinguishing the multipleidentical applications of the application group is also improved.

The plurality of identifiers may be identifiers of a same type or ofdifferent types. For example, the plurality of identifiers may all benumbers such as 1, 2, 3 and the like, or may also be of multiple typessuch as 1, A, @, and so on. There are no limits to the identifier typein the embodiments of the present disclosure.

For example, the terminal sets a group of identifiers for the Xcommunication application group, including three identifiers. The Xcommunication application 1 corresponds to an identifier 1, as shown inFIG. 2C; the X communication application 2 corresponds to an identifier2, as shown in FIG. 2D; and the X communication application 3corresponds to an identifier 3, as shown in FIG. 2E.

In some embodiments, when the terminal sets a group of identifiers forthe application group, the group of identifiers may not correspond tothe applications of the application group in an one-to-one relationship.That is, the number of the identifiers in the group may be greater thanor equal to the number of the identical applications of the applicationgroup. When the application indication information is displayed in thespecific area in the interface of the terminal, an identifier israndomly selected from the identifiers in the group.

In some embodiments, the terminal acquires the original icon of thefirst application before displaying the application promptinginformation in the specific area in the interface of the terminal, andadds the identifier of the application group at a specific position onthe original icon to obtain the icon of the first application.

If the terminal sets the group of identifiers for the application group,the terminal may acquire the original icon of the first application andthe identifier corresponding to the first application, and add theidentifier corresponding to the first application to the original iconat a specific position on the original icon, to obtain an icon of thefirst application for use in the application group.

The specific position on the original icon may include, but is notlimited to, a lower or upper left corner, a lower or upper right corner,or a left or right side, of the original icon.

For example, in the X communication application group, the Xcommunication application 1 is the original application having anoriginal icon shown in FIG. 2F. Original icons of the X communicationapplication 2 and the X communication application 3 are the same as theoriginal icon of the X communication application 1. The X communicationapplication 1 corresponds to the identifier 1 shown in FIG. 2C, the Xcommunication application 2 corresponds to the identifier 2 shown inFIG. 2D, and the X communication application 3 corresponds to theidentifier 3 shown in FIG. 2E. Therefore, the identifier 1 may be addedto the left lower corner of the original icon of the X communicationapplication 1 to obtain a modified icon 1 of the X communicationapplication 1 for use in the application group, as shown in FIG. 2G; theidentifier 2 may be added to the left lower corner of the original iconof the X communication application 2 to obtain a modified icon 2 of theX communication application 2 for use in the application group, as shownin FIG. 2H; and the identifier 3 may be added to the left lower cornerof the original icon of the X communication application 3 to obtain amodified icon 3 of the X communication application 3 for use in theapplication group, as shown in FIG. 2I.

In some embodiments, the icon of the first application may also beobtained by modifying the original icon of the original application ofthe application group by the terminal, for example, by turning aroundthe original icon. There are no limits to how to obtain the icon of thefirst application in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

For example, the X communication application group may further includean X communication application 4 which is a mirror application of the Xcommunication application 1 (i.e., the original application). an icon(shown in FIG. 2J) of the X communication application 4 may be obtainedby overturning the original icon (shown in FIG. 2F) of the Xcommunication application 1.

In some embodiment, when the original icons of the respectiveapplications of the application group are different from each other, theapplication indication information may further include the original iconof the first application.

In some embodiments, displaying the application indication informationin the specific area in the interface of the terminal may includedetermining whether the first application of the application group isrunning in a foreground of the terminal. When the first application ofthe application group is running in the foreground, the applicationindication information is displayed in the system status bar of theterminal.

In such case, when the first application is running in the foreground,the interface for the terminal to run the first application hasindicated that the currently running application is an application ofthe application group. Thus the application indication information maybe an identifier to further indicate that the application currentlyrunning in the foreground is the first application of the applicationgroup. Accordingly, the first application may be accuratelydistinguished from the other applications of the application group.

In a situation where the first application of the application group isnot running in the foreground, the icon of the first application mayalso be displayed in the system status bar of the terminal to indicatethat applications running on the terminal include the first applicationof the application group running in the background.

For example, when the first application is the X communicationapplication 2 currently running in the foreground of the terminal, theidentifier 2 of the X communication application 2 is displayed in thesystem status bar of the terminal, as indicated by reference numeral 30in FIG. 2K. When the first application is the X communicationapplication 2 not currently running in the foreground of the terminal,the icon 2 of the X communication application 2 is displayed in thesystem status bar of the terminal, as indicated by reference numeral 40in FIG. 2L.

In some embodiments, when a notification message sent for the firstapplication is received, the notification message is displayed in thesystem notification bar of the terminal. The icon of the firstapplication is displayed at a position where the notification message isdisplayed.

In such case, for each application of the multiple identicalapplications of the application group, the terminal may receive anotification message for the application. When the terminal receives thenotification message sent for the first application, the firstapplication may not run at present. Thus, the first application may bestarted to run to indicate that the currently received notificationmessage is sent for the first application. To further distinguish thefirst application from the other applications of the application group,the notification message may be displayed in the system notification barof the terminal and the icon of the first application may be displayedat the display position where the notification message is displayed.

The notification message may be sent by a server corresponding to theapplication or sent by another terminal, which will not be specificallylimited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

For example, when the first application is the X communicationapplication 2 and the terminal receives a notification message “hello”sent for the X communication application 2, the notification message“hello” is displayed in the notification bar of the terminal, and theicon of the X communication application 2 is displayed at a positionwhere the notification message is displayed, as indicated by referencenumeral 50 in FIG. 2M.

In some embodiments, to display the application indication informationin the specific area of the interface of the terminal, an icon of thefirst application in the taskbar of the terminal is set. At least oneicon, which includes icons of applications currently in a runningstatus, is contained in the taskbar.

The system status bar of the terminal may be limited in space, and thusthere may not be sufficient space for displaying the applicationindication information. In addition, the taskbar of the terminal mayusually include at least one icon of applications currently in therunning status. Therefore, the icon of the first application in thetaskbar may be set to ensure that the first application may bedistinguished from the other applications of the application group.Accordingly, the accuracy of distinguishing the first application fromthe other applications of the application group is improved.

In some embodiments, the terminal may also display the applicationindication information in the specific area in the interface of theterminal via other manners. For example, the icon of the firstapplication in a desktop of the terminal is set. There are no specificlimits made in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2N, two icons are included in the desktopof the terminal 200 b. A first icon 60 is the icon of the Xcommunication application 1 of the X communication application group.The X communication application 1 is the original application, and theicon 60 is the original icon of the X communication application 1. Asecond icon 70 is the icon of the X communication application 2 of the Xcommunication application group. The X communication application 2 isthe first application, and the icon 70 is the icon of the Xcommunication application 2.

Furthermore, as described from the above, for each application group ofthe plurality of application groups, the terminal may determine a firstapplication that is most recently used by the user. Thus, the terminalmay also display application indication information in a specific areain an interface of the terminal for indicating the first application ofthe application group after determining the first application.

In the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal maydetermine the first application, which is most recently used, of theapplication group and display the application indication information inthe specific area in the interface of the terminal for indicating thefirst application. The first application may be accurately distinguishedfrom other applications of the application group. In addition, the firstapplication may be a mirror application, that is, the applicationindication information is only displayed for the mirror application ofthe application group to further better distinguish the mirrorapplication from the original application of the application group.Thus, the accuracy of distinguishing the multiple identical applicationsof the application group is further improved. Additionally, theapplication indication information may include the identifier or icon ofthe application group. When the first application is in the foregroundrunning status, the identifier or the icon is displayed in the systemstatus bar of the terminal. When the first application is not in theforeground running status, the icon may also be displayed in the systemstatus bar of the terminal. Thus, flexibility in displaying theapplication indication information is improved.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a device 300 for displaying an applicationinterface, according to an exemplary embodiment. The device 300 mayinclude a determination module 301 and a display module 302.

The determination module 301 is configured to determine a firstapplication, of an application group, the application group includingmultiple identical applications, and the first application being a mostrecently used application by a user of the multiple identicalapplications.

The display module 302 is configured to display application indicationinformation in a specific area in an interface of the device 300, forindicating the first application.

In some embodiments, the application indication information may includean identifier or an icon of the application group.

In some embodiments, the display module 302 may include a judgment unitand a first display unit.

The judgment unit is configured to judge whether the first applicationof the application group is in a foreground running status.

The first display unit is configured to display the applicationindication information in a system status bar of the device 300 when thefirst application of the application group is in the foreground runningstatus.

In some embodiment, the display module 302 may further include a seconddisplay unit and a third display unit.

The second display unit is configured to display a notification message,which is sent for the first application, in a system notification bar ofthe device 300 when the notification message is received.

The third display unit is configured to display an icon of the firstapplication at a position for displaying the notification message.

In some embodiments, the display module 302 may further include a fourthdisplay unit.

The fourth display unit is configured to set an icon of the firstapplication in a taskbar of the device 300, and at least one icon, whichincludes icons of applications currently in a running status, iscontained in the taskbar.

In some embodiments, the device 300 may further include an acquisitionmodule and an addition module.

The acquisition module is configured to acquire an original icon of thefirst application.

The addition module is configured to add the identifier of theapplication group at a specific position on the original icon to obtainthe icon of the first application.

In some embodiments, the first application is a mirror application ofthe application group.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the device 300may determine the first application, which is a most recently usedapplication, of the application group and display the applicationindication information in the specific area in the interface of thedevice 300 for indicating the first application. The first applicationmay thus be accurately distinguished from other applications of theapplication group. Accordingly, displaying multiple identicalapplications of the application group is improved.

With respect to the device 300, specific manners by which the variousmodules perform operations have been described in detail in theexemplary embodiments regarding the methods, which will not be repeatedherein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a terminal 400 for displaying anapplication interface according to an exemplary embodiment. For example,the terminal 400 may be a mobile phone, a digital broadcast terminal, amessaging device, a gaming console, a tablet, a medical device, exerciseequipment, a personal digital assistant, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 4, the terminal 400 may include one or more of aprocessing component 402, a storage component 404, a power component406, a multimedia component 408, an audio component 410, an Input/Output(I/O) interface 412, a sensor component 414, and a communicationcomponent 416.

The processing component 402 typically controls overall operations ofthe terminal 400, such as the operations associated with display,telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recordingoperations. The processing component 402 may include one or moreprocessors 420 for executing instructions to perform all or part of thesteps in the abovementioned method. Moreover, the processing component402 may include one or more modules which facilitate interactionsbetween the processing component 402 and the other components. Forinstance, the processing component 402 may include a multimedia moduleto facilitate interactions between the multimedia component 408 and theprocessing component 402.

The storage component 404 is configured to store various types of datato support the operation of the terminal 400. Examples of such datainclude instructions configured for any application programs or methodsoperated on the terminal 400, contact data, phonebook data, messages,pictures, video, etc. The storage component 404 may be implemented byany type of volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combinationthereof, such as a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), an ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), a Programmable Read-Only Memory(PROM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a magnetic memory, a flash memory, anda magnetic or optical disk.

The power component 406 provides power for various components of theterminal 400. The power component 406 may include a power managementsystem, one or more power supplies, and other components associated withthe generation, management and distribution of power for the terminal400.

The multimedia component 408 may include a screen providing an outputinterface between the terminal 400 and a user. In some embodiments, thescreen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel. Ifthe screen includes the TP, the screen may be implemented as a touchscreen to receive an input signal from the user. The TP includes one ormore touch sensors to sense touches, swipes and gestures on the TP. Thetouch sensors may not only sense a boundary of a touch or swipe action,but also sense a duration and pressure associated with the touch orswipe action. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 408 includesa front camera and/or a rear camera. The front camera and/or the rearcamera may receive external multimedia data when the terminal 400 is inan operation mode, such as a photographing mode or a video mode. Each ofthe front camera and the rear camera may be a fixed optical lens systemor have capabilities of focusing and optical zooming.

The audio component 410 is configured to output and/or input an audiosignal. For example, the audio component 410 may include a microphonewhich is configured to receive an external audio signal when theterminal 400 is in the operation mode, such as a call mode, a recordingmode and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may befurther stored in the storage component 404 or sent through thecommunication component 416. In some embodiments, the audio component410 further includes a speaker configured to output the audio signal.

The I/O interface 412 provides an interface between the processingcomponent 402 and a peripheral interface module which may be a keyboard,a click wheel, a button or the like. The button may include, but notlimited to, a home button, a volume button, a starting button and alocking button.

The sensor component 414 includes one or more sensors configured toprovide status assessment in various aspects for the terminal 400. Forinstance, the sensor component 414 may detect an on/off status of theterminal 400 and relative positioning of components, such as a displayand small keyboard of the terminal 400, and the sensor component 414 mayfurther detect a change in a position of the terminal 400 or a componentof the terminal 400, presence or absence of contact between the user andthe terminal 400, orientation or acceleration/deceleration of theterminal 400 and a change in temperature of the terminal 400. The sensorcomponent 414 may include a proximity sensor configured to detectpresence of an object nearby without any physical contact. The sensorcomponent 414 may also include a optical sensor, such as a complementarymetal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or charge coupled device (CCD) imagesensor, configured for use in an imaging application. In someembodiments, the sensor component 414 may also include an accelerationsensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor or atemperature sensor.

The communication component 416 is configured to facilitate wired orwireless communication between the terminal 400 and another device. Theterminal 400 may access a communication-standard-based wireless network,such as a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) network, a 2nd-Generation (2G) or3rd-Generation (3G) network or a combination thereof. In an exemplaryembodiment, the communication component 416 receives a broadcast signalfrom an external broadcast management system or broadcast associatedinformation through a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, thecommunication component 416 further includes a near field communication(NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, theNFC module may be implemented on the basis of a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) technology, an infrared data association (IrDA)technology, an ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, a Bluetooth (BT)technology and another technology.

In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal 400 may be implemented by oneor more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signalprocessors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors or otherelectronic components which are configured to perform the abovementionedmethod.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumhaving instructions stored thereon is provided, such as the storagecomponent 404 having stored thereon instructions which may be executedby the processor 420 of the terminal 400 to implement the abovementionedmethods. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium may be a ROM, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), amagnetic tape, a floppy disc, an optical data storage device, or thelike.

One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the abovedescribed modules can each be implemented by hardware, or software, or acombination of hardware and software. One of ordinary skill in the artwill also understand that multiple ones of the above described modulesmay be combined as one module, and each of the above described modulesmay be further divided into a plurality of sub-modules.

Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be conceived by thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover anyvariations, uses, or adaptations of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure following the general principles of the embodiments of thepresent disclosure and including common knowledge or conventionaltechnical means in the art which is/are not disclosed in the embodimentsof the present disclosure. It is intended that the specification andembodiments are considered as exemplary only, with a true scope andspirit of the present disclosure being indicated by the appended claims.

It will be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to theexact construction that has been described above and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and that various modifications and changes may bemade without departing from the scope thereof. It is intended that thescope of the present disclosure only is limited by the appended claims.

1.-12. (canceled)
 13. A method for displaying an application interfaceon a terminal, comprising: determining a first application of anapplication group, the first application being a mirror application ofthe application group; acquiring an original icon of the firstapplication; performing at least one of adding an identifier of theapplication group at a specific position on the original icon ormodifying the original icon, to obtain an icon of the first application,wherein each application of the application group corresponds to anidentifier, the applications of the application group are distinguishedbased on the identifiers; and displaying application indicationinformation in a specific area in an interface of the terminal, forindicating the mirror application of the application group, wherein theapplication indication information comprises at least one of theidentifier or an icon of the application group, and the specific areacomprises one or more of a system status bar, a system notification bar,a taskbar, and a display area containing an icon of any application ofthe application group.
 14. The method according to claim 13, whereindisplaying the application indication information in the specific areain the interface of the terminal comprises: determining whether thefirst application is running in a foreground of the terminal; anddisplaying the application indication information in the system statusbar of the terminal when the first application is running in theforeground of the terminal.
 15. The method according to claim 13,wherein displaying the application indication information in thespecific area in the interface of the terminal comprises: displaying anotification message sent for the first application, in the systemnotification bar of the terminal, when the notification message isreceived; and displaying the icon of the first application at a positionfor displaying the notification message.
 16. The method according toclaim 13, wherein displaying the application indication information inthe specific area in the interface of the terminal comprises: settingthe icon of the first application in the taskbar of the terminal toindicate that the first application is one of multiple identicalapplications in the application group, at least one icon being containedin the taskbar and the at least one icon corresponding to an applicationcurrently in a running status.
 17. A device for displaying anapplication interface, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storinginstructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor isconfigured to: determine a first application of an application group,the first application being a mirror application of the applicationgroup; acquire an original icon of the first application; performing atleast one of adding an identifier of the application group at a specificposition on the original icon or modifying the original icon, to obtainan icon of the first application, wherein each application of theapplication group corresponds to an identifier, the applications of theapplication group are distinguished based on the identifiers; anddisplay application indication information in a specific area in aninterface of the device, for indicating the mirror application of theapplication group, wherein the application indication informationcomprises at least one of the identifier or an icon of the applicationgroup, and the specific area comprises one or more of a system statusbar, a system notification bar, a taskbar, and a display area containingan icon of any application of the application group.
 18. The deviceaccording to claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:determine whether the first application is running in a foreground ofthe device; and display the application indication information in thesystem status bar of the device when the first application is running inthe foreground.
 19. The device according to claim 17, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: display a notification message sentfor the first application, in the system notification bar of the device,when the notification message is received; and display the icon of thefirst application at a position for displaying the notification message.20. The device according to claim 17, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: set the icon of the first application in the taskbar ofthe device to indicate that the first application is one of multipleidentical applications in the application group, at least one icon beingcontained in the taskbar and the at least one icon corresponding to anapplication currently in a running status.
 21. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructionsthat, when executed by a processor of a terminal, cause the terminal toperform a method for displaying an application interface, the methodcomprising: determining a first application of an application group, thefirst application being a mirror application of the application group;acquiring an original icon of the first application; performing at leastone of adding an identifier of the application group at a specificposition on the original icon or modifying the original icon, to obtainan icon of the first application, wherein each application of theapplication group corresponds to an identifier, the applications of theapplication group are distinguished based on the identifiers; anddisplaying application indication information in a specific area in aninterface of the terminal, for indicating the mirror application of theapplication group, wherein the application indication informationcomprises at least one of the identifier or an icon of the applicationgroup, and the specific area comprises one or more of a system statusbar, a system notification bar, a taskbar, and a display area containingan icon of any application of the application group.
 22. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21,wherein displaying the application indication information in thespecific area in the interface of the terminal comprises: determiningwhether the first application is running in a foreground of theterminal; and displaying the application indication information in thesystem status bar of the terminal when the first application is runningin the foreground.
 23. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium according to claim 21, wherein displaying the applicationindication information in the specific area in the interface of theterminal comprises: displaying a notification message sent for the firstapplication, in the system notification bar of the terminal, when thenotification message is received; and displaying the icon of the firstapplication at a position for displaying the notification message. 24.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim21, wherein displaying the application indication information in thespecific area in the interface of the terminal comprises: setting theicon of the first application in the taskbar of the terminal to indicatethat the first application is one of multiple identical applications inthe application group, at least one icon being contained in the taskbarand the at least one icon corresponding to an application currently in arunning status.